BASEBALL

BASEBALL; Alfonzo's Star Rises With Steady Play

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: June 2, 2000

There is nothing that matters as much to a manager as consistency from his players. ''What you keep trying to find out,'' Mets Manager Bobby Valentine said, ''is what you can expect.''

For Valentine, second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo defines consistency. Every day, Valentine knows he will get good at-bats, solid defense and total effort from Alfonzo, who is always among the first to arrive before games and one of the last to leave.

After Tuesday's 4-hour-9-minute victory over the Dodgers, the longest nine-inning game in Mets history, Alfonzo stood in a runway outside the clubhouse exercising his forearms with rubber tubing. Consistent work habits, consistent performance.

Yet Alfonzo, who is batting .354 as the Mets prepare to play host to Tampa Bay tonight -- and who homered and doubled and drove in two runs in the Mets' 4-3 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night -- may simply be too consistent to be widely recognized as a star.

''He's spectacularly consistent,'' Valentine said. ''Because you don't see him out of that mode, it's hard to appreciate him doing anything other than what he does every day.''

General Manager Steve Phillips said: ''We have a real streaky team, and Edgardo tends to not follow that pattern. He tends to play on an even keel and tends not to have significant hot streaks or significant slumps. That's important for our team.''

But when the season began, Alfonzo was concerned about how he could maintain such consistency because his off-season routine had changed. After nine consecutive years playing winter ball in Venezuela, the 26-year-old Alfonzo did not play last year, at the Mets' urging.

He had played in a career-high 158 games in 1999, plus 10 more in the playoffs and was worn out. ''Fifteen days after the season I was completely dead,'' he said.

Alfonzo's right knee was bothering him, but it had healed by December, and he asked the Mets if he could again play winter ball for Magallanes with his teammate Melvin Mora. But the Mets, who had signed him to a four-year, $18.4 million contract the previous winter, told him to take some time off and use spring training to prepare for 2000.

Alfonzo understood, but his mind was often at the ball park. Twice he went to see his old teammates, and he was full of emotion. It felt good to be part of the team again.

''I watched games on TV a couple of times and I said, 'Wow, it's unbelievable, I really miss the game,' '' Alfonzo said. ''But my wife told me she didn't want to watch the game. She wanted to get out of the game for a couple of months. I understood that because you want to be together.''

So Alfonzo relaxed with his wife and two young sons in St. Teresa, Venezuela, visited his parents and spent time with friends. But he also worried because he was not in baseball shape. By the time he got to spring training in mid-February, Alfonzo's weight was up to 215 pounds, about 10 to 15 more than his ideal playing weight.

''I wanted to play and have a good time, show the fans what they've been watching on TV,'' he said. ''But sometimes I need a little rest, and that's what happened. When I came here I was worried about what's going to happen in spring training and the first couple of months of the season.''

He decided to approach spring training as if it were his first major league camp. The weight disappeared and Alfonzo was the Mets' best hitter, batting .419 in the spring. He started the regular season slowly, but ended April with a .348 average. He batted .360 in May.

Alfonzo wants to keep his average high all year, of course, and before the season he asked Valentine for a few more days off this season to preserve his body. So far, he has missed three starts.

''You prove to yourself all the time that you can do this,'' Alfonzo said. ''That's what I've been trying to find out: how consistent I can be and how I can be a better player every day. The question was, definitely, can I do this after a winter off?''

For others, the question was whether Alfonzo could hit in the third spot in the lineup after John Olerud departed to Seattle. Alfonzo batted second most of last year and hit only .116 when starting elsewhere in the lineup. Valentine said he had no doubts Alfonzo could make the switch and said the transition had been ''invisible.'' Alfonzo batted third at Class AA Binghamton in 1994, and said it was never a big deal doing it again this year.

''It's just a different spot in the lineup,'' he said. ''I don't change anything in my approach, just wait for my pitch and try to do something. It's not like I've got to lift the ball a little more or I have to swing hard.''

All Alfonzo must do is stay consistent. That is what he strives for, and there is probably no higher compliment inside a baseball clubhouse.

''Everybody has to know what kinds of things you can do for the job you have,'' Alfonzo said. ''I think that's the bottom line: being consistent to your ability, what you're able to do.''

Photo: Edgardo Alfonzo, who hit his 10th homer of the year Wednesday night, is congratulated by Mike Piazza (31). (Reuters)